Ricarius Solivade
Ricarius Solivade, who is also known by his imperial style as His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Ricarius ex Solvada, is the current ruling Emperor of the United Empire of Solvada and head of the Imperial Commonwealth of Planets. He rules both his Empire and the Commonwealth from the Palace of Unity or from his flagship, the ISS Indominus. History Early Life Ricarius' life came about out of the genetic experiments of the late 20th century, classifying him an Augment. Unlike most Augments, who were raised in a captive and artificial environment, he had been raised in as normal a setting as could be, with two middle-aged adoptive parents who held deep religious values. They introduced him to various faiths and belief systems by enrolling him in a parochial academy, and it was here that he began learning about the value of religion as a source of moral guidance. This extended to his political ideals, learning about the Divine Right of Kings practiced in feudal Europe and the Mandate of Heaven in ancient China, expressing support for a system of government under a single just ruler, the key word being 'just'. When the Eugenics Wars began, Ricarius worked to lead the human counter-revolution against his aggressive Augment brethren at the age of 14. Around 1996, a couple weeks after his 17th birthday, the last of the Augments were overthrown and pure-gene humans ruled again, all taking part in a grand coalition known as the Imperial Commonwealth of Nations. However, fearing that the Augment who led them back to peace would turn on them, the Earth governments agreed to have him cryogenically frozen for a fixed time of 350 years. In a surprising turn of events, Ricarius consented to the decision, so long as he was guaranteed of his safety during the sentence and his freedom after its time was over. Without him present to hold the Imperial Commonwealth together, it collapsed and was officially dissolved only a couple months after he was frozen. In the Federation 350 years later, Ricarius was unfrozen in Cold Station 12, the main storage facility for Augment embryos and specimens, and welcomed by a team of Federation scientists. Knowing whom he was from history and how he actively fought other Augments on behalf of a free and just human society those many years ago, he was trusted well enough to be granted citizenship and the freedom to live his life as any other normal human would. He adjusted himself as best he could to this new life, disappointed that ideals such as religion had declined in human society, but eager to find a niche for himself in this new future nonetheless. He was quick to establish himself in the political echelon, and his charisma allowed him to become a strong ruling figure in the European Union, a province of United Earth. In time, he even managed to acquire a spot on the Federation Council as Earth's representative, and just in time to witness the Federation's collapse as a result of the Dominion War. (See Collapse of the Federation for more details) Following the Dominion War, Ricarius had begun to notice trends within the Federation that would eventually lead to its dissolution. He knew that it was inevitable, and instead of working to delay it, he began to set into motion a series of plans for what to do after the collapse was to occur. He took inspiration from his memories of the Imperial Commonwealth of Nations founded at the end of the Augment Wars, knowing how effective it was in administrating humanity while he acted as its leader, and surmising that perhaps a similar system could be applied on an interstellar scale to fill the power gap. As he expected, tensions reached a breaking point and the Federation Council was officially dissolved, signaling the moment of the Federation's collapse. Rise of the Empire Immediately following the dissolution of the Federation Council, Ricarius used his political clout to assume direct authority over the United Earth provisional government, which was hastily established in the aftermath of the Federation's collapse. His first actions were to institute various reforms and transform the provisional government into a constitutional monarchy, with himself installed as its monarch. Within only the span of several weeks, the rump state had been reorganized and re-branded as the United Empire of Solvada, a government based on traditional ideas of governmental policy and a strong military defense. Once the consolidation of power had been finalized, he then proceeded to enact the next stage of his imperial agenda. On behalf of his new government, he sent several diplomatic communiques to the Vulcan High Command, Andorian Empire, and the Tellarites, the same founding members of the Federation over 200 years ago, and invited them to discuss terms for re-unification under a new system of governance. In the following negotiations with each alien power, Ricarius proposed his new system to the delegates, which he guaranteed would succeed where the Federation failed. He explained how the system would allow for each potential member state's government to hold absolute jurisdiction over all internal affairs, with no interference from beyond, but that all authority over foreign and military affairs for each state would fall under the jurisdiction of a single executive power. The most emphasized difference between the Federation and his new system was that the legislative body would not be totally responsible for the decision-making process, and that the executive branch, administered by the Emperor of Solvada in perpetuity, would act in a far more independent manner than it did in the Federation. This would allow for a strong leader to maintain order and ensure greater efficiency in catering to the needs of the constituent members, while still allowing the legislature to check the executive's powers and prevent tyranny from taking hold. One by one, the three powers consented to the agreement, and began to take steps towards drafting a new charter while also seeking out other potential members to join under this new system. Birth of the Commonwealth Once Ricarius gained the support of the former Federation founders, as well as rallying a considerable number of other ex-Federation member worlds behind his cause, he finalized the new charter and initiated a ceremony on Earth where all founding members signed on to the charter and officially established the Imperial Commonwealth of Planets. The ceremony was concluded with each new member state pledging their cooperation and allegiance to him, as vassals of the United Empire of Solvada. Now acting both as Emperor of Solvada and head of the Commonwealth, Ricarius spearheaded a number of policies that allowed the Commonwealth to expand and develop with unprecedented rapidity, surpassing even the Federation at its height militarily and economically within the span of a couple months. Following the explosive rise in power of the Commonwealth, Ricarius arranged for each major power in local space to participate in a diplomatic conference to discuss the future of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The leading figures of the Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, Cardassian Union, and many other influential governments met with him to discuss the Commonwealth's status as the official successor state of the Federation. Many treaties previously signed by the Federation were amended and renewed for the Commonwealth's inclusion, and each power represented agreed to henceforth recognize the Commonwealth in all diplomatic matters as the legal continuation of the United Federation of Planets. Characteristics Personality Most Augments could be characterized as arrogant, aggressive, and ambitious to the point of ruthlessness. Ricarius, however, does not tend to exhibit these characteristics as violently as other Augments. He rarely ever is overly aggressive in nature, due to him being a product of later experiments when the defects of the Human Augment Genome were being weeded out. In fact, he is often considered to be far more docile and timid than most normal humans, with a desire to find friendship or affection among most individuals. He has shown some arrogant tendencies, but not nearly to the levels of other Augments, and he is considered ambitious in his goals, but his ambitions appear to be mostly centered around selfless interests, such as ensuring the well-being of all humankind, primarily to gain favor among them and earn their trust and support. Though he is often kind and gentle when dealing with those he trusts, a sadistic side does reveal itself in the methods by which he dispatches his opponents, often with fierce brutality. However, the most unusual characteristic of his personality compared to other Augments was Ricarius' strict adherence to a moral and ethical center, achieved through a devotion to religious values developed early in life thanks to his upbringing. Abilities Like other Augments, he is stronger, smarter, more agile, and more resilient than most other humans. His body is less susceptible to damage compared to the human body, and he can exert himself well beyond normal human limits, if necessary. During his long period of cryogenic stasis, Federation scientists had participated in a classified Federation project which involved Augment experimentation. The scientists had tampered with his body while he remained in his induced coma, enhancing many sectors of his physical and mental being. His strength and intellect were further enhanced, but this was not the most significant of his changes. During tests conducted after his thawing, it was discovered that he had received, whether intentional or not, telepathic and telekinetic abilities. In terms of the level of power at his disposal, they are comparable to the levels exhibited by the Ocampan known as Kes during her species' natural transformation stage into a non-corporeal entity. Within these categories, his abilities include mind manipulation, directed energy discharge, and self-levitation and flight, among many others. While he has access to these powers, rarely does he make use of them except in emergencies, or times when he sees fit to use them for other purposes without squandering them. Category:Imperial Commonwealth of Planets Category:Leaders